Universal impulse unit



Sept. 22, 1942. H. E. WILLIAMS: ETIAL UNIVERSAL IMPULSE UNIT Filed March 3, 1941 3 g mmw m m]? J wv o m I o i m x y r l carried by the mounting plate H.

its free end. 23

Patented Sept. 22, 1942 UNIVERSAL IMPULSE UNIT Harry E. Williams and Lyndon A. Durant,

Chicago, Ill.

Application March 3, 1941, Serial No. 381,456

5 Claims.

highly emcient in use and economical in manufacture.

Among the other objects of this invention is the provision of a combination and arrangement of parts arranged in an electric circuit under the control of various switch means any of which when operated will cause the new unit to function for the purpose of recording a number of impulses corresponding to the value of the particular switch operated.

Another object of the invention is to provide a universal impulse unit in which there is provided means for successively operating a plurality of control mechanisms by electrical means corresponding to a particular initial operating switch when the latter is operated.

Other objects will appear hereinafter as the invention is described in the specification and in view of the drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevatlonal view of the new unit;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same as seen along line 22 in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a schematic electrical wiring diagram with which the'unit of Figs. 1 and 2 may be associated.

Heretofore in game apparatuses it has been the custom to operate score counters, free play mechanisms and their respective resetting units by means of individual control with each of said counters. This present invention contemplates the provision of an impulse control of an impulse switch so that the various counter and totalizer mechanisms may be operated from a central or local unit.

The new unit is indicated at H! and consists of a mounting plate ii upon which is fixedly mounted a motor l2 which is adapted to drivingly engage a train of gears i3 to effect rotatable movement to a main shaft H. The shaft I4 is.

journaled for rotatable movement, in a frame Freely mounted coaxially on the shaft I4 is a disc it having a hub portion I! which surrounds the shaft H. A star wheel I8 is keyed to the shaft H by means of a set screw I! for rotation with the shaft and has a plurality of teeth 20 formed on its peripheral edge (Fig. l). A dog 21 is pivotally carried, as at 22 on the disc IS with bent at right angles to the lever 2| and this lateral extension 23 is normally urged into operative engagement with a tooth of the resilient cam spring 3|.

star wheel It by means of a spring 24 having its opposite end anchored as at 25 on a pin carried by the disc i8.

The star wheel i8 and spring urged lever 2| provide a slip clutch for the disc l5 so that when the shaft l4 and wheel l8 are rotated the disc [8 will be rotated therewith.

A second disc 26 is arranged concentrically on disc l5 by means of stud screws 21 and is held in spaced relation with respect to the disc I. by washers 28. The disc 26 is of a non-conductive material such as fibre or the like and has its peripheral edge 29 serrated to provide a plurality of notches 30. A resilient cam spring ii is carried upon a bracket 32 mounted upon the plate H, and this leaf spring 3i is disposed with its free end portion 33, which is provided with a V-shaped cam, normally bearing against the pcripheral edge 29 of the disc 26, and adapted to intermittently move into the notches 30 as the disc 26 is rotated. A switch means 34 is also carried on the bracket 32 and has one leaf spring 35 thereof normally disposed in spaced relation with a stationary leaf spring 36 of the switch 34 by means of a stud 31 fixedly mounted to the free end of the leaf 35 and bearing against the The arrangement is such that each time the cam 33 is disposed in a notch 30 the leaf spring 35 will be urged into circuit-connecting condition with its corresponding leaf 36. The disc it has V-shaped notches 38 formed in its peripheral edge 39 to divide the latter into four equal segments for reasons to be hereinafter explained. A cam spring 40 is carried on a bracket 4| supported upon the plate I i and has its free end provided with a V-shaped cam 42 normally bearing against the peripheral edge 39 of the disc it. A leaf spring switch 43 is also carried on the bracket 4i adjacent the cam spring 40 and has its contacts 44 and 45 in closed contact position when the cam rides upon the periphery 39 of the disc l6 and "the spring switch 45 is adapted to assume open circuit condition when the cam portion 42 is disposed in one of the notches 38.

The new unit is further provided with a brake means and this brake means includes a solenoid coil 41 fixedly mounted on the plate ii and has an armature 48 associated-therewith. This brake means 46 is adapted to control the rotative movement of the disc l6, and to this end the disc it has formed therein a number of elongated openings 49 arranged with their long axis radial with respect to the disc I6 and corresponding in number to the notches formed in the peripheral edge 38 of the disc. The armature 48 has one end portion 88 reduced in diameter and extending through an insulated sleeve 8| carried by the plate II, the free end 82 of the member 88 being guided for axial movement with respect to the coil 41 by' a metal bracket 53 arranged on the plate H. The portion 88 01' the armature is provided with a washer 84 and a coil spring 88 disp'osed between the washer and the bracket 88 seas to urge the armature 48 toward the disc l8. The opposite end of the armature 48 is provided with a reduced finger 58 to provide a shoulder 51,-

the finger 88 being of a size to fit into the opening 48 formed in the disc l8 with the shoulder 8'! bearing against the face of the disc and preventing further movement of the armature toward the disc. The free end of the reduced portion 58 of the armature 48 is disposed to contact with a leaf spring 88 supported on the bracket-83 with its free end positioned adjacent the end 82 of the gization of a relay 84' having relay contacts 2', and 3' like unto the contacts numbered to 3 inclusive on the score circuit. By energization of the relay 84" the brake coil 41 will be energized through cbntact 2' and the motor l2 will rotate the discs I8 and 28 to again cause a number of successive operations of the impulse switch 84 and this time the closing of the switch 84 will through the relay contact 3' connect circuit to the add coil II on the free play unit which. actuates a unidirectional advancing pawl 1| to advance aratchet 11 on the free play unit (clockwise, Fig. 3) to record a number of free plays corresponding to the number of impulses on the switch 34 by reason of the operation of the disc 28.

A pivotally mounted holding pawl 88 is spring urged into engagement with the ratchet 11 to 1 hold the latter in successively advanced posiarmature and normally out of contact with the 7 same.

In Fig. 3 there is shown a schematic electric wiring diagram which has been preferably, though not necessarily, found to be suitably adapted for the employment of our new unit. In

this diagram there is schematically shown a ball playing surface 88 upon which are disposed ball objectives 8| in the form of ball operated switches, one of which is designated S to signify it as being a score switch. This switch S receivescurrent from the main line 82 and is adapted when closed by the action of a 'ball to complete circuit to a conductor 83 whereby to energize a score relay 84 which is grounded through conductor 85 and the switch 45 on the unit l8. Energization of the relay 84 causes the closing of its respective contacts, No. 1 of which is a self-locking contact for holding the relay in circuit; No.2 of which connects circuit from the line 62 through conductor 88 to the coil 41 of thebrake 48; and No. 301 which connects the stationary leaf spring 38 of switch 34 with the coil 810i the score stepping mechanism.

Energization of. the brake coil 41 as aforesaid will cause the finger 58 of the armature 48 to be withdrawn from the slot 48 in disc l8 to free the latter for rotative movement, and simultaneously therewith the .end 52 of the armature will contact the leaf spring 58 to complete circuit to thetions. Means for returning the ratchet '11 to initial or zero position comprises a rocker arm 8| pivotally mounted at 8| and having a resetting pawl 82 normally out of engagement with the ratchet 11 but adapted to move in engagement with the toothed peripheral edge thereof to return the ratchet l1 (counterclockwise) toward initial or zero position in step by step fashion.

The rocker arm 8| is linked as at 83 to a subtracting solenoid 15 which when energized rocks the rocker arm 8| toward the ratchet 11 to cause the resetting pawl 82 to engage the periphery of the ratchet 11 as aforesaid and simultaneously to cause an abutment 84 on the rocker arm 8| to pivot the holding pawl 88, against the action of its spring, out of holding engagement with the ratchet 'll thus freeing the latter for counterclockwise movement by the resetting pawl 82.

In order to reset the free play recorder 18 there is provided a push button 12 arranged in the cabinet with which the unit is associated and this push button is adapted to close a switch 13 cuit with the impulse switch 34. In this'regard winding of the motor I: whereupon the latter I will cause rotation of the train of gears l3 and shaft l4 and through the star l8 and lever 2| cause rotation of the discs i8 and 28. (Counterclockwise, Figs. 1 and 3.)

It will be noted that the notches 30 in the disc 28 are five to each segmental unit between the notches 38 on the disc l8. For this reason there will be five successive impulses through the switch 34 and at the fifth impulse the cam 42 will ride into the next successive notch 88 on the disc I6 thereby permitting the contacts 44 and 45 of the switch 43 to be separated to break circuit to the relay 84 deenergizing the latter and the coil 41 of the brake member 48 so that the spring will urge the armature 48 into latching engagement with the notch 49 and lock the disc against further rotative movement. The five successive impulses upon the switch 34 will have transmitted five impulses to the coil 81 of the score stepping switch and thereby cause a recording at five points. I The switch 8| designated F is associated with afree play counter 18 and when the switch F is closed by the action of a ball it' causes the enerit is to be noted that when the free play unit 18 is in zero position an insulated pin 16 carried on the ratchet Tl normally engages a leaf spring 18 to separate its contacting engagement with a corresponding leaf spring 19 thereby breaking the circuit to the ground of the free play reset coil 14. When the coil H has been energized and the mechanism 10 has been stepped up one or more steps, the extension 18 will have been moved away from the leaf spring 18 to allow the latter to make contact with the spring 19 and thereby ground the circuit to the coil 14'. In this regard it is to'be noted that the resetting of the mechanism I8 is in no way affected by the switch 45, the latter of which is not connected in the circuit to the free play reset relay coil 14 and for this reason when the ratchet I1 is in advanced position a plurality of steps the motor I2 will continue to rotate the discs l8 and 28 until the ratchet 11 is returned to initial position to break the circuit at leaf spring 18.

While the impulseunit described in our invention has been arranged in a game apparatus we do not desire to be bound to such an arrangement. This invention is capable of variations"- pulse unit which is universal to a number of different and separate operations all of which may be combined in one structure with which each unit is associated.

While we have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying our invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. We, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail ourselves of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In an impulse control, a'frame, a motor on said frame, a driven disc means, means for connecting said disc with said motor for driving operation by the latter, brake means including a reciprocable member, means for urging the latter into engagement with said disc, said disc havin a serrated edge portion, switch means arranged to engage said edge portion and adapted to assume open and closed condition intermittently by reason of engagement with said serrated edge portion, and means for affecting said brake means for withdrawing said reciprocable member out of latching engagement with the disc and simultaneously effecting operation of said motor.

2. In an impulse control including a frame and a rotatable disc arranged for rotatable movement onthe latter, motor means drivingly connected with said rotatable disc, notches formed on the periphery of said disc, switch means arranged to bear against the periphery of the disc to normally dispose the switch in closed condition and adapted to assume open condition when seated in a notch, slots formed in said disc, brake means including a reciprocable element, spring means normally urging said element toward said rotather from stopping engagement aforesaid, electric motor means drivingly connected with said rotatable member, notches formed in said rotatable member at intervals about its peripheral edge, cam switch means, connected in circuit with said electrically operated means and normally engaging the edge of said rotatable member to dispose the switch in closed circuit and adapted to assume opened circuit condition when aligned with one of said notches, switch means connecting said motor in circuit and arranged to be disposed in closed circuit condition by said brake member when the latter is moved from stopping engagement with said rotatable member, and means for effecting energization of said electrically operated means.

4. In a device of the class described, a mounting plate, drive means on said plate, a rotatable disc arranged on said plate for rotation by said drive means, said disc having a notched peripheral edge, switch means engaging said edge to normally dispose the same in closed circuit condition and adapted to assume open circuit condition when disposed in one of said notches, brake means including a reciprocable member and means for urging the same into latching engagement with said rotatable disc, electrically operated means connected in circuit with said switch means, a control disc mounted for rotation with said rotatable disc and having-a serrated edged portion, impulse switch means operatively engaging said serrated edge portion and adapted to open and close intermittently corresponding to able disc and into latching engagement with the slots formed therein, relay means having circuit connection through said switch means and adapted to connect circuit to said brake means to effect withdrawal of said reciprocable element from latching condition, switch means affected by the latter movement of said reciprocable element for effecting operation of said motor, and means for energizing said relay means.

3. In a device of the class described including a rotatable member having a peripheral edge portion, means comprising a control disc mounted to rotate with said rotatable member, stopping means spaced about the axis of rotation of said rotatable member, said disc having a serrated peripheral edge portion, control switch means operatively engaging said peripheral portion to normally dispose said switcirin closed condition and adapted to assume open condition when said control switch engages one of the serrations, brake means including a ember yieldably bearing against the rotatable member for stopping engagementwith any of said stopping means, said brake means further including electrically operated means to move said brake memthe number ofserrations engaged by said impulse switch, a motor control switch arranged to be disposed in closed circuit condition by said reciprocable member, and means for initially energizing said electrically operated means to permit operation of said motor.

5. In a device of the class described, a mounting plate, drive means on said plate, a rotatable disc arranged on said plate for rotation by said drive means, said disc having a notched peripheral edge, switch means engaging said edge to normally dispose the same in closed circuit condition and adapted to assume open circuit condition when disposed in one of said notches, brake 4 ing said serrated edge portion and adapted to open and close intermittently corresponding to p the number of serrations engaged by said im-.

pulse switch, a motor control switch arranged to be disposed in closed circuit condition by said reciprocable member, and means for initially ener- 'gizingsaid electricalLv operated means to permit operation of said motor to eifect operation of said impulse switch means a number of times as aforesaid.

HARRY E. WILLIAMS. LYNDON A. DURANT. 

